


Santa Baby

by maskedsleight



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Humor, M/M, akira cries over a toy gun, akira misses goro, goro akechi as a mall santa, i had to get this out of my system before i explode, is not aligned with the canon timeline because hooboy, is this a joke? maybe, protag pov, teen for the mention of ass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29336943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maskedsleight/pseuds/maskedsleight
Summary: Akira wanders through Tokyo but everything just reminds him that Akechi isn't with him. So he tells the mall Santa that he wants the Ace Detective, Goro Akechi, for Christmas. In response, the mall Santa calls him a sentimental idiot and tells him to fuck off.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 2
Kudos: 105





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not an original idea--  
> I saw one of my favorite artist talking about a P5R au where Goro works as a mall Santa and it hasn't left my mind since

Akira didn’t know where to start as he roamed the city, himself. 

Walking through the streets of Tokyo, he saw people rush with their last minute gift buying. The bustling streets, the filled up malls and restaurants, and the couples who pretended they were the only two people in the entire city-- It just reminded Akira that there were people waiting for him in Leblanc--people he now considered his family. A warm feeling filled his chest at the idea of them waiting for him in the cozy coffee shop but the warmth immediately sunk when he passed by a familiar shop.

He passed by the same place nearly everyday for the past few weeks, humiliating himself as he cried over a toy gun in public. He never intended to buy the thing, secretly hoping it would just remain on display. Regret immediately hit Akira when he saw that the stand it was placed on was empty. A thought rushed through his head and came out as fast as it came in. 

_No toy. No Akechi._

He should have bought it. He’d never use it but he never used any of the toys he bought in the first place. Despite that, the idea of it being there would have at least eased his broken heart. But his broken heart would have to remain uneased-- he missed the chance to save his rival and he missed out on the chance to buy a stupid toy.

Oh, if Akechi could see him now, crying over a toy he never had the guts to buy-- on Christmas Eve of all times. His brows would have furrowed as he rolled his eyes at him. Arms crossed over his chest, his fingers tapping against his arm impatiently-- as if he had anyone else to see besides Akira.

_“You’re such a sentimental fool.”_

Akira could hear him say it. He could imagine the small quirk to his lips that held back how he would’ve laughed at him. The clench his heart gave pushed him to pull away from the empty display. If he stayed any longer, hell, if he thought about him a bit more he knew he’d spiral down a pit of regret and grief.

So he kept walking.

There were couples in coffee shops, families having dinner in a restaurant, single folk drinking to enjoy the company they had with each other, kids rushing over to the not-in-a-mall mall Santa to tell him their wishes. The joke of making a wish, himself, came to Akira’s mind and just to prevent further grief, his body made its way to line up with the excited children, exhausted parents, and the groups of friends who teased each other to tell Santa what they wanted. 

Akira just wanted Akechi bac--

“And what would you like for Christmas, little boy?”

Now, Akira wasn’t one to brag, but he knew how incredibly perceptive he was. You don’t just become the leader of a merry band of thieves without having the skill of being able to detect and make use of everything you see, hear, smell-- the whole shebang.

Right now, his perception told him he knew that voice. No matter how deep “mall Santa” thought his Santa voice was, he was sure he recognized that voice. Whether it was the inflection, the diction, the-- oh, who was he kidding, he watched every single one of Akechi’s clips on the internet to recognize his rival pulling a bad imitation of Santa Claus.

But it couldn’t be Akechi, could it? Akira knew better than that.

Inside him, he always hoped that his rival was alive. Akechi surprised him at every turn. He was incredibly talented, strong, and capable. In Akira’s head, if he managed to trick the detective into believing he died in the interrogation room, the other could very well find a way to fake his own death as well. 

Akechi always surprised him. He couldn’t be dead. Akira wouldn’t accept that.

...but there was no way he was a mall Santa, right?

The closer he got in line, he got to see a bit more of Santa’s face. He was definitely young, around his age if he had to guess. The comically bushy beard covered the majority of his face and the wig-hat combination gave Akira no signs of chestnut brown hair. It frustrated him deeply how close he was but he still felt so far. If only he could get a look at his eyes…

“Sir, are you going alone?”

The tired young man manning the line surprised Akira.

So much for excellent perception.

He was too focused on that damn mall Santa that he didn’t realize how he was practically next in line. He looked back and forth from the man, to the high schoolers behind him, to the mall Santa, then back to the young man. This must have looked incredibly pathetic to everyone, he realized. A young man, alone on Christmas Eve, waiting in line to sit on Santa’s lap. Heat rushed up Akira’s cheeks before he gave a quick nod.

“Right.” The young man said, removing the velvet rope to let Akira in.

He could feel the sweat gather at his palms as he stepped up the podium. It was just some mall Santa-- Just some guy who had unfortunate circumstances to work on Christmas Eve-- 

Some stranger--

Someone he didn’t know--

\--Someone whose freckles peppered his cheeks when he didn’t have them covered with makeup. Someone with intense maroon eyes that Akira fell into more times than he can count. Eyes that belonged to someone with expert self control. Someone who definitely pretended to not look surprised and reverted back into a fake smile that Akira still felt was too familiar to be anyone else’s.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest and he could feel the tears well up in his eyes. For all the time he spent hoping, crying, begging while clutching onto a leather glove, he didn’t expect to meet his rival again like this. It took all the self control he had to stop himself from reaching over to kiss the living daylights out of a mall Santa. But he got over his initial dread and a renewed confidence brought him back to whatever he rival got himself into.

“Rather old to be sitting on Santa’s lap, aren’t you?”

“I’ve got a very ambitious list, Santa. I’d like to cover all my chances.” he couldn’t help but relish at that almost glare that was shot at him.

“Of course.”

This made several people behind Akira laugh a little as he made his way to sit on Santa’s lap. He had to be careful with this. He couldn’t just outright reveal what he knows when there were multiple people watching over him now.

“Ok, Santa. First on my list, I’d like a sweater for my cat.”

“Sounds easy enough.” Santa nodded carefully at him, a hand under his chin as he pretended to think about it.

“Next, a Black Frost plushie. It’s the only one I’m missing for my collection.”

“Mhmm...not as ambitious as I expected, I have to admit.”

“Oh, my most ambitious is the last one…” he started, lowering his voice a little. He leaned closer and whispered to make sure no one else would hear him. 

“...I want Goro Akechi for Christmas.”

“Excuse me?” 

He could feel the anger radiate out of the man he was sitting on. In some way, he relished the idea of riling up his rival. It was his sort-of revenge for not telling him he was alive this entire time.

“Out of my entire list, I want Goro Akechi the most.”

_“Who?”_

He could hear the threat underlying his tone, all he really needed was a solid push.

“You see, he’s incredibly handsome. He has these freckles on his cheeks and shoulders that I want to get my lips on. He has the most gorgeous and intense eyes, the softest hair I’ve had the pleasure of touching. He also has firmest thighs and the finest ass I’ve ever see--”

“ _Enough_ , Kurusu.” 

Excitement and downright relief filled Akira as soon as the sharp growl came out of Akechi. He couldn’t contain his smile and despite his calm demeanor, the amount of joy he felt was enough to bring tears back to his eyes.

“If you fucking continue, I won’t hesitate to kill you _again_.”

“When do you get off?”

_“Pardon?_

“When can I take you outta here, you asshole.” 

“I’m not leaving. You are. Now get off, there’s a fucking line.”

“Of course, of course.” Akira replied, happier than he did when he came in. “Thank you so much, Santa! I’ll be waiting for my gifts tonight.” he announced, voice raised.

The young man that managed the line made his way to the camera to take his photo but Akira couldn’t just leave. It was really him! It was really Akechi! Now that he was here, there was no way he’d let him go now.

Akira walked over to the young man. “When’s Santa going on break, by the way? He’s an old friend of mine, and I’d really like to catch up.”

A sigh escaped him as he looked over at San--Akechi then back at Akira. 

“His shift will be over in an hour or two.”

“Perfect.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way longer for me to upload

Akira was used to waiting. It was something he grew to develop back when he still lived in Inaba. It made his time management impeccable and it became an aspect of himself that he appreciated when he got into thieving. 

But this time Akira was impatient.

His foot tapped quickly as he checked the time on his phone again and again.

5 minutes left. 

He had 5 minutes until Akechi could leave the Santa chair and ready himself for the rest of the night. He contemplated counting down the minutes by the seconds but he had a better use for his time, right? At least Akira thought so. He spent the previous hour or so thinking about what to first tell Akechi.

_“I thought you died?”_

_“Why didn’t you tell me you were alive?”_  
  


_“How long have you been alive?”_

_“Where were you this whole time?”_

_“Why didn’t you answer my calls?”_

All of them felt wrong on Akira’s tongue at the moment. He couldn’t just pounce all those on Akechi when he could be calm, cool, and collected. He was the leader of the Phantom Thieves for fuck’s sake. He had to be calm for the reunion he’d have with his fated rival, who he just found out was _alive._ 5 minutes turned to several seconds and Akira still couldn’t put into words on how to be calm and collected when Akechi was right there--

He turned just in time to catch a glance of the brunette sneaking off, making his way around a Christmas tree to avoid Akira’s line of sight.

_For fuck’s sake._

He made his way to trail after Akechi. He wasn’t sneaking off this time. Akira wasn’t going to lose him again.

He followed after the ex detective through crowds of people, several Santas, and mannequins. He was just about to grab the black glove of the Santa costume when he suddenly felt someone pull him aside and into an empty alleyway. Blood drained from Akira’s face at the idea that he was seconds away from Akechi and he lost him. He was going to get mugged and possibly stabbed before he actually got to see him again.

“Stop _squirming,_ you fool.”

And Akira froze.

Santa Claus himself, hissed at him before pulling his beard down. Akechi’s cheeks were reddened from the beard and cold, he assumed. There was no makeup covering the light freckles or the faint scars on his face. He was gorgeous. He still looked as beautiful as he remembered but Akira couldn't bring himself to move. To say _something_ so that he didn’t look like a gaping fish that just got caught.

“S-Santa--”

A look of pure annoyance was shot right at him and Akira’s mouth was immediately shut with a gloved hand.

“You’re going to listen to me, Kurusu. Do _not_ ever refer to me as Santa Claus, else I stab you where you stand, crystal?”

Akira swallowed, his voice muffled into the glove.

“Clear.”

\----

Akechi soon enough, dragged him away from the alleyway and into a room meant for employees. He had taken the Santa costume off, the look of irritation never leaving his face and donned his coat and scarf.

Akira felt a sharp pang of longing. He cried for weeks and stayed strong through his grief because taking down Shido-- taking down a _god_ meant he did good to Akechi’s promise. But now here he was, staring at him like he still couldn’t believe he was there. He also had to act quick-- the look of irritation burned from Akechi’s eyes and Akira feared he’d run again.

The brunette stared at him long and hard, impatience running through him, and Akira still couldn’t find the words to say. He was the Phantom Thief Leader with a sharp tongue and had a reply to _anything_ but he was speechless when it came to the dead boy he never moved on from.

Arms quickly made their way around Akira before he even got the chance to act. A shaky breath escaped from the mouth buried to his neck. 

“A-Akechi..?”

“What.”

Akira wrapped his arms back around his rival, pulling him close as he possibly could. He remembered the glove in his pocket and laughed.

“I kept my promise.”

“Yeah...me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry y'all, I've moved on to more fics I've had in mind to write, so this one had to be sacrificed :(
> 
> I've intended this to be short, funny, and a little sweet so I hope I managed to achieve at least some of those?  
> (surely, short has been checked off)

**Author's Note:**

> ended up dividing this into two parts mainly bc i'm working awful shifts at work but i'll definitely finish it soon!


End file.
